To Bella And Cissy
by TheSolitaryNoodle
Summary: My take on how Andromeda Black ran away from the life of a Pureblood daughter. Slightly different to others, I think. Features Ted Tonks, Narcissa and mentions of Bellatrix. ONESHOT.


**This is an idea that's been bugging me for a while now, and I know there are other versions of how Andromeda ran away, but this is my version.**

**Guess what? I own Harry Potter! –le gasp- Oh yesh. All seven of them. xD**

**Enjoy!**

_To Bella and Cissy, my beautiful sisters,_

_I cannot express how sorry I am._

_I want you to know that yes, I do love Ted, and this is not just a spite marriage, as I can imagine that's what Mother will claim. I don't care about whether he's a Muggle-born or a Pureblood. I'm not going to leave him, ever, but I'm not leaving you. If you two forget about blood purity for once in your lives and come and see him, maybe you can see why. I didn't want to be handed over in matrimonial slavery to a man I don't know or love, just as Bella was and Cissa undoubtedly will be._

_I don't plan to marry him straight away; we've bought a flat to live in for a year or so. Maybe we'll buy a house after, but not until we get married (both of us agree that eighteen is too young to be married, but he's already proposed to me). I just can't force myself to go through each day bringing up children with lies about blood purity._

_I feel like I'm in a storybook; those romance novels we all used to love, remember? It feels so weird; to be leaving everything I've ever known. I know I'm taking a risk here, but I want to. There's nothing to stop you from joining me in a world where blood doesn't matter. __Because it doesn't__. (Oh yes, Mother, I said it.) I don't expect my face to be on the Family Tree for much longer, and I couldn't be happier._

_I still think of you as my sisters. Never forget that. I wish I could take you two with me – remember the three Musketeers game we played when we were little? Sort of like that._

_I just can't do it to myself. Bella, the bruises Lestrange leaves all over your face – though every time you say you fell (which is a pathetic excuse, by the way) – just show exactly how bad arranged marriages are. Cissy, think about that._

_You two protected me more over the years than you know. Being Bellatrix Black's sister had some bonuses at Hogwarts, it must be said – no one was going to bully you when you had an older sister who would gladly torture said bullies to insanity. But weirdly enough, being Bellatrix Lestrange's sister doesn't have quite the same silver lining._

_I like to think I protected the both of you, too. Every time Bella 'fell', every time the pressure on Cissy got too much. The pressure got too much on all of us from time to time, I suppose, but what do you expect when the reputation of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black is resting on your shoulders?_

_We completed each other, in a way. I hate to break that perfection now. It's a choice between you to and Ted, and I've made my decision. It's logical. Mother and Father are never in a million years going to accept Ted, but there is the tiniest chance that perhaps you two can accept him. I'll never stop hoping for that._

_To Bella: You always were too beautiful for your own good, weren't you? I used to envy you, but seeing how your beauty got you a place in so many men's beds and your heart broken so many times I doubt it'll ever be the same, I don't anymore. I'll never understand your obsession with proving how strong you are, but joining those racist psychos is not the right way to do it. Please. Also, do you know what a divorce is? It's a Muggle thing – where you can leave your husband. I expect you'd like that, huh? Lestrange was always violent, and I don't know what he did to you in the past, but even before your wedding I could tell you were terrified of him. Why do you let him do this to you? Tell the Ministry or something! Or is this about proving how strong you are, letting people know that you aren't going to crumble? You're strong, but you need to know where the border between strength and stupidity is, Bells._

_To Cissy: You poor little thing. Expectation's always fallen on you, hasn't it? You're the perfect Pureblood daughter. Mother gave up on Bella long ago, and the expectation's only going to increase tenfold now that I've done this. I'm so sorry. Bella's always there for you, and so am I. Never ever forget that. I heard Mother's arranging for you to wed Malfoy – he's not too bad. Yes, he's a stuck-up arrogant git, but I doubt he'll turn out like Lestrange. You've always been smart enough to know what to do when faced with the dangers of Mother's etiquette lessons; I'm sure you'll do fine. And besides, any man who won't love you is either stupid or dead. Oh, God. I feel awful for doing this to you. You never did anything wrong, and I'm abandoning you… No, no I'm not. Just because I'm leaving the set-in-stone future our parents had in store for me. You can come and see Ted – he's such a nice man. You'll love him. Both you and Bella are welcome at any time._

_I love both of you, and I'll never forget you or the good times we had. Admittedly, the many fights will be in my memory too, but I'll try to ignore them, because as much as we all denied it at Hogwarts, we are sisters. The Black Sisters._

Dromeda xxxx

Andromeda put down her quill and shut her eyes quickly. A tear slid down her freckly cheek and fell onto the parchment, blurring the kisses. She looked up to the ceiling of the train compartment, the light swinging in time with the train itself, and blinked a few times. She sealed the letter in an envelope, and scribbled _'Bella and Cissy'_ on the front.

A knock at the compartment door made her look up. A boy of her own age poked his head through the door. He smiled, and went to sit next to her. "We're nearly there." He stated quietly as she leant her head on his chest. "Are you ready?"

Abandon my sisters? My two best friends? I'll never be ready. She thought, but just nodded. He stood up and hauled her suitcase down from the rack above the seats. He paused when he saw how heartbroken she looked.

Dumping the suitcase to the side, he knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his own. "I love you." He said with all the emotion he had.

She smiled weakly and nodded. "And I love you. I'd… better go give this to Cissy." She added, not looking at him but through the window at the scenery streaking past.

He leant forward, cupping her chin gently in his hand, and turned her to face him, before he kissed her. "All right. Thank you."

She smiled again, forcing herself not to cry. Standing up, she walked out of the compartment door, and along the corridor. Many children had started coming out of their compartments, but Andromeda didn't see them. To her, the only things in the world were the letter in her hand, Ted in the compartment behind her, Narcissa in the compartment in front, and Bellatrix, wherever she was.

Through the blurred glass of the compartment door, Dromeda could see the blonde hair of her younger sister. Lifting her fist, she knocked on the door. It slid open.

"Drommie? Are… are you okay? What's wrong?" Narcissa asked, standing up.

"Cissy, could I have a word?" Dromeda asked, aware of the other three girls – presumably Narcissa's friends – looking at her. The blonde just nodded, and followed her out of the compartment, and into another empty one. "Cissy, I love you. You know that, don't you?"

"Drom, you're scaring me, what's wrong?" Narcissa demanded, sitting on the seat behind her but never taking her eyes off her older sister. "Drommie, I can tell something's up…"

"And Bella. I love her, too. Even though she's a stroppy cow."

"Why are you telling me this? We'll be home in half an hour… you can tell her then…" Narcissa said. "Are you feeling okay? It's your NEWT results, isn't it? You're stressed. Or the wedding, is that it? Bella went through this two years ago…"

"No, Cissy, it's not that…" Andromeda said, kneeling down in front of her sister. "I'm not coming home."

It took a few seconds for this to sink in. "Wh… what? What do you mean, you're not coming home? You're joking, right? You… Are you going to Bella's? Is that it? I-" Narcissa's icy blue eyes were wide. "Please say that's it… you're sick of Mother, so you're going to stay with Bella until your wedding?"

Andromeda smiled ruefully. "Bella's hardly better than Mother…" She looked down as another tear dripped down her face. "Cissy, listen to me, please. It's Ted, you know him? I'm going to live with him for a while… well, forever, really. He's got a flat; I haven't seen it but apparently it's really nice... He'll look after me."

"You mean… you're abandoning us?" Narcissa asked, accusation in her voice, a tear of her own dripping down her face.

When her baby sister put it like that, it sounded awful. "No, no, not abandoning you, I'm just… going away. Oh, Cissy, I am _so_ sorry…" Andromeda tried, more tears escaping. "But I _love _him."

"But… why can't you love someone else?" Narcissa asked.

Dromeda couldn't help but smile at Cissa's naivety. "That's not the way it works, gorgeous." She said, reaching up to stroke her sister's hair. "When you're in love with someone, the world doesn't revolve around the sun anymore; it revolves around _them_. You can't just change that with a click of the fingers. Do you understand?"

Narcissa nodded, sniffing and searching in her pockets for a tissue. When she couldn't find one, she wiped her nose of the back of her sleeve, all thoughts of Pureblood manners driven out of her head. "Please." She whispered. "Please don't do this. What am I meant to do?"

Andromeda tucked a piece of her light brown hair behind her ear. "Cissy," she started, taking her sister's hand in her own and running her thumb over it, just like Ted had done to her not ten minutes ago. "Cissy, don't think I haven't thought about this. I lost more night's sleep than I care to think about over this."

Narcissa just sniffed and nodded, refusing to meet her sister's gaze.

Andromeda bent her head down, trying to meet Cissa's eyes. "Cissy, look at me. Please." Narcissa looked up, her eyes sparkling with fresh tears. "Oh, God. This is the hardest thing I've ever done."

"Drommie, please… why…?" The younger was past the point of forming coherent sentences, now. "What am I meant to do?" She repeated, trying to keep herself from sobbing.

"I'll _always_ be there for you." Andromeda said, tucking a strand of her sister's escaped blonde hair behind her ear. "Never, ever forget that. Just because I won't be on the family tree anymore doesn't mean you're not my baby sister any more." Narcissa just nodded as she looked away, chewing on the sleeve of her Slytherin robe. "Oh, come here." Andromeda said, holding her arms out for a hug.

Narcissa slid down onto her sister's lap, finally letting everything break free. Her tears dripped over her nose and onto the shoulder of Andromeda's white blouse as her body shook with sobs. Dromeda herself was silent, stroking Narcissa's hair as her own tears dripped down, staining Cissa's robes darker.

"I'll miss you. So much. So, _so_ much." Narcissa said between gasps for air, clinging onto her sister for dear life. "It'll never be the same without you."

"I know. I'll miss you and Bella too. More than anything. I'll think of you every day." Andromeda consoled her, kissing her temple softly. The first signs of platform Nine and Three Quarters could be seen out the window; the train was slowing and the sound of excited children could be heard through the door. They didn't have much time. "Come on, Cissy. We need to get off the train now."

Narcissa just gasped for air, clutching her sister tighter. "Please don't go."

"Cissy, the train's stopped. We actually _have_ to get off." Dromeda pointed out, feeling Narcissa's arms droop from her. She stood up, hauling her little sister up too. Cissa didn't say anything, just let herself be propped into a standing position.

The door opened. "Dromeda?" Ted stuck his head through the door. He bit his lip when he saw the sight in front of him. "I've got your suitcase – I can take it off the train for you. Should I take hers too?" He asked quietly.

Andromeda nodded at her fiancée, aware of Narcissa's silent, calculating gaze on him. He didn't know what to do – the blonde girl obviously knew about their plans, but would it seem uncaring is he smiled at her? Or would it seem uncaring if he didn't? Ted opted for halfway, a reassuring smile. The girl didn't smile back.

When Ted shut the door, Narcissa didn't take her eyes off of the place where his face had been. Andromeda looked down at her, caught up in the awkwardness.

"He seems nice enough." She mused, and Andromeda couldn't help but marvel at the speed her little sister changed from a helpless crying wreck to a sophisticated Pureblood daughter.

"He is. You'd love him if you got to know him." Andromeda said, starting to steer her baby sister towards the door. "You can come and see him anytime. You and Bella."

Narcissa snorted, not with laughter. "Bella? You know the crowd Bella's trying to get into… she'd probably kill him."

Andromeda stopped. "Cissy, don't. Please." Narcissa looked away, knowing that that had been the wrong thing to say. "And Cissy?" Dromeda's voice made her look up again. "Promise me you'll look after Bella? She doesn't realise the trouble she'll get herself involved in. What she's doing with these Death Eaters or whatever will definitely end in tears."

Cissa nodded. She could feel the tears welling up again. How had she not noticed her sister was planning this? Another tear escaped her astonishingly blue eyes, and she wiped it away furiously.

They stepped off the train and into the harsh, glinting sunlight, both shielding their eyes from the sudden brightness.

"Come on." Andromeda said, tapping Narcissa's arm lightly. "I'll walk you to the Flooing point." She smiled at Ted, and took her sister's suitcase off of him. She wheeled it behind her as the uncomfortable silence settled over them. "Thank you, Narcissa." She eventually said.

The blonde sister looked up. "For what?

"For letting me leave. It means more than you could imagine. If you were Mother, you'd hex me into oblivion and drag me home." Andromeda looked down at her, their eyes meeting. "You have no idea how much I wish I could just take you and Bella with me."

Narcissa just nodded and held her hand out for her suitcase. Dromeda passed it to her. "You were always there for me." She said. "And I promise I'll always be there for you. Always. And before I forget…" She said, pulling the letter she'd written earlier out of her pocket, "this is for you and Bella only. Okay?" She pressed her lips to her sister's forehead for a second, knowing that this might be the last time they ever saw each other as sisters again.

The letter was taken from her hand, and suddenly, she was being hugged tighter than she ever had been before. "I love you too." Cissa whispered into her shoulder, before she'd let go and stepped into the green Floo flames, gone from Andromeda's sight.

Ted's lips were on her cheek, his arm around her waist. She'd done it. She was no longer a Black. Just a Blood Traitor. But she was in love, and that was the important thing.

**--**

I know most fanfics portray her escape as she leaves Black Manor one night, but to be honest, I don't think that would be exactly possible… I'm sure Druella and Cygnus would put up some spells or something…

**Feedback will be squee!-ed at. I really, really want to know how this was – I really don't know myself – and you reviewers are the people who know best!**

**Thanks :D**

**xx**


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